Process for producing alloys of titanium with ferrometal.



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UNITED STATES PATENT orurcn.

AUGUSTE J. ROSSI, 0F NIAGARA FALLS, .NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE TITANIUM ALLOY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PROCESS FOR PRODUCING- ALLOYS OF TITANIUM WITH FERROMETAL.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

No Drawing. Original application filed May 6; 1910, Serial No. 559,657. Divided and this application filed February 4, 1911. Serial No. 606,450.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Aucusrn J. Rossr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Producing Alloys of Titanium with Ferrometal, of which the following is: a specification.

.My present application is a division of my pending application for Letters Patent Serial No. 559,657, filed May 6, 1910, allowed resulting not only in undesired losses of the metals themselves, but also, in some instances, in production of undesirable fumes. The losses and other undesirable incidents referred to are to be expected particularly when the said alloy is produced, as is usual, in an electric furnace of the type known as an open furnace. It will be understood that in the formation of said alloy the titanium is usually suppliedto the charge in the forll' of its oxid, as for instance per the met-hot (described .in my Letters Patent No. 609,46 3, granted August 23, 1898', and

"that the chemical reactions resulting. in the volatilizations, losses, etc., above referred to,

are usually between constituents of the forming alloy and of the atmosphere, and therefore require, for the preventlon of such 'combinations, interposition between said alloy and atmosphereof a coating of molten material normally impervious by the atmos- My present invention may be practiced as follows: Taking for example the production in an electric furnace of an alloy of iron and titanium known as-ferro-t-ita nium, there is charged into said furnace a of the underlying molten iron bath.- After;

the lime has melted, or while it is melting, there is next superimposed thereon a charge of a mixture of titanic acid and carbon, preferably comminuted or agglomerated in briquets, the carbon of the said last mentioned mixture being so proportioned as to be in sufficient quantity to reduce both the said titanic acid and the lime. As equivalent for and in lieu of titanic acid or of oxid of calcium a titanate of lime (CaO, TiO,) might to such extent as desired be employed, the titanium content of which may be such as to impart to the resulting allo the desired content of titanium. In

such case the said titanate comprising titanium in a chemical combination reducible by carbon and also calcium in a chemical combination. reducible by carbon is-similarly mixed with carbon, the proportion of the latter being suflicient to insure reduction of the lime, if any, present, also formation of calcium carbid, and also liberation of metallic titanium, or, in certain cases, it may be found desirable to substitute completely for both the lime and the titanic acid the said titanate of lime, from which may be derived therequii'bd amount of titanium, and also the required amount 'of lime for combination with the carbon.

The temperature of the charge being raised sufficiently to secure reduction of the titanium compound under the conditions mentioned, there is formed alike in all the casesmentioned and by the resulting reactions metallic titanium, which, passing through the lime, dissolves in the bath ofmolten iron to produce the desired alloy of titanium and iron, and there is also formed su erimposed and maintained above the said a oy during its formation a coating of calcium carbid,-which, possessin reductive properties, promotes reduction 0 said compound of titanium. and simultaneously efiectually rotects the said metals constl- 'tuting the Bath of said molten alloy from substantially all alterations b oxidation, volatilization, or otherwise.

t is preferable to add on the surface of the said melzted carbid of oalciumptoward the close'of the operation, an additional covering or blanket l 0 carbon in order to insure a reduclng at mosphere throughout the furnace. Reactions so occurring in cases in which oxid of calcium and oxid oftitanium are employed maybe expressed by the following formulae:

CaO,TiO,+5C:OaO -l 3cO-l-Ti. I have also 'found it advisable in many cases to ad carbon in excess of the quantity strictly uired by the said formulae, said surplus of carbon being not only to guard against possible contingencies, but also in order to insure, in cases in which lime is used for the covering, decomposition of any accidentally formed titanate of lime, which compound, however, would nevertheless, even were it to remain intact until the end of the operation, beevacuated withthe carbid ofcalciuni' with no greater detriment to the successof the operatlonor to qualities of -the.resulting;"alloythan a' posslble small,-

though undesired, loss of titanic acid. It is obvious that the" amount of such excess of carbon willbe readily determined according to the requirements of each case bythose skilled in the metallurgical art. It will also be appreciated that in the production of ferro-titanium, as well as alloys of any other metal'to be alloyed with titanium, a concentrate of titanic acid and oxid of iron, or of titanic acid'and the oxid of the other metal may be employed instead of titanic acid pure and simple and withequivalentresults, a proper amount of carbon being, in such case, however added sufiicient to reduce also the oxid of iron, or 'of the other metal present, and the resulting iron, or other metal, passing into the original bath of molten metal together with the titanium.

culate the proportions of carbon required to secure the reduction of the lime, titanic oxid or other oxids employed as the case /1;nay be; alsothe amount of carbon required in ca-ses in which instead of titanic acid alone titanic acid and the oxid of theother metal to be alloyed with the titanium are employed Furthermore those so skilled tionings-of titanic acid, or other titanic material, employed to furnish to the metallic bath the required percentage of titanium.

metals, or m'etalloids,,other than iron, are

. desired to be alloyed or combined with titanium, my process is substantially the'same as above applied to production of ferrotitanium, in such case such other metal, or

the oxid of such other metal, if employed, for the oxid of iron.

By means of my said process, metals heretofore alloyed with titanium with difficulty, loss, and danger, as for instance copper, are, as likewise the titanium, retained substantially intact without loss or other undesired alteration and withoutproduction of undesirable fumes.

compound of titanium =w ith other metal which comprises superimposing over a molten bath of said other metal a coating comprising carbon, titanium in chemical combination reducible by carbon, and calcium in chemical combination reducible by carbon, and imparting to the whole a tem tallic'titanium by oarbonfreduction.

2. The method of produc ng an alloyof titanium and a ferromi'etal which comprises ing such "term-metal 'ax'coyerin'g comprising a compound of titanium carbon, and a compound of' calcium, andnimp'arting 'to the whole, a temperature, SlIfli duction of 'saidfcompo' der the conditions specifi titanium: un-

The rgp in alloy of nt pmm an ,mpr s r r P ms ov t .1 'it such iron Ta covering a compound of tltanium reducible 'by carbon, carbon and a compound of calcium, and imparting to the will readily understand the various propormetalloid, being substituted for the iron and What/I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following, viz 1. The method of producing an alloy or perature sufficient to insure'liberation of mesuperimposing ovenaimolten bath co'ntaincient to insure re- The foregoing for-frid e should enable those skilled in the metallurgical art to cal- It will be observed that in cases in which Whole a temperature sufficient to insure retitanium reducible by carbon, and oxid of duction of said compound of titanium under calcium, and imparting to the Whole a tem- 10 the conditions specified. perature sufiicient to insure liberation of 4. The method of producing an alloy or metallic titanium by carbon reduction. compound of titanium and a ferro-Inetal AUGUSTE J. ROSSI. which comprises superimposing over a Witnesses: molten bath containing such ferro-met-al a WALTER D. EDMONDS, covering comprising carbon, a compound of PHILIP O. PEoK. 

